My Small World....

We have always enjoyed having some version of art hanging on our walls, but have been a bit slow adding since we repainted the inside of the house.…. more careful I guess and putting up the pictures that we especially like.

However, there is a blank spot in our bedroom.  I used to have a large square quilt hanging but our headboard now partly covers it....

… so that was the reason for the frenzied quilting of My Small World last weekend...

Its bound and ready for hanging now....

I took quite a few pictures.... I played around with the quilting - because it's a hanging it doesn't matter that it is a bit firm....

different textures in the sky.....

I do like the odd little bit of fussy cutting I did..... (there's a tiger in the house!) 

I do like lizards ….

… real cats make my eyes itch... so I got a fabric one instead....

the hills are are alive...... 

I really enjoyed all the different bits to this quilt....

Blocks were made then all of a sudden they all fit together... 

Meanwhile outside my Hoya is going crazy.... every day there is a few more inches along the wires and new buds growing 

the leaves stand up towards the light... so it shows off the flowers hanging down so nicely... 

… and this little basket plant (I have no idea what it's called) is looking so pretty... I love the different shades of green in it 

A bit cooler here at the moment… no real rain but light drizzle.  I am enjoying the cool.

Righto, Gotto Go...  things to do, .....  

First Friday in February.....

This week I managed to complete the stitchery on my 5th block for Flowerville…

 The Main House (Flowerville is a Rosalie Dekker design)

I hope this week I will be able to make the Dresden plate for around the edge and finish the block.

I also sewed these 4 circles.... I have about 20 more to do... so nearing the end.... 

I have been pretty busy so haven't got to very much machine sewing... but I did do the third block in Jane's sampler.

I am making the blocks 3 1/2"

each new block has an extra piece to do... these are 1, 2 and 3 as you can see

Thanks Chez for having us for FNWF....

I started on the next Flowerville block... which is the Coffee House.  I started on the chain stitch, which goes pretty slowly.... plus there were people's to chat to.... and a shop to browse..... and cheesecake to eat.... 

This weekend I want to do some of my own quilting.... and have got out My Small World (Jen Kingwell pattern) as I want a large wallhanging for above the bed. 

I will be quilting quite heavily ….. but also in an informal style....

Righto, Gotto Go...… I'm going a quilting...…

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Fiddling around.....

After being energised with ChooseDay sewing I continued to piece some blocks for My Small World...

This hill was a bit fiddly, I drew up a foundation pieced pattern but needleturned each curve onto each other.... not sure it gave the best result but it worked for me....

(this block measures 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" …. so lots of small pieces

… and here are all four hills together.... you can see they all are a bit fiddly and different... how clever designers are....

… of course I couldn't stop there……

TaDa… all my pieces are together now....  I didn't count them but you are welcome to....

My Small World is designed by Jen Kingwell ….  so clever and so much fun.... now to get it quilted.... hmmmm

Of course with a finish (sort of finish though not quilted) I needed some more machine sewing for ChooseDay….

playing around with some placement

Righto, Gotto Go.... curtain fell down this morning so Hubz needs some supervision!!!

Back to some piecing.....

I have missed doing my machine piecing lately … and it was great to get back with the ChooseDay Girls for some sewing (for various reasons we have missed quite a few Tuesdays lately)

First up were  the last 2 weeks of blocks for Moda BlockHeads …. I was pleased to use that pretty piece as a focus in the big block....

As it is a mystery I am not sure how my colours will work together with the different blocks.... but people do them all the time and they seem to work....

...next I sewed Sky... lots of 1 1/2" pieces to make sky..... and added the blocks I had done to the city sections..... My Small World is starting to take shape....

This week I want to work on making the rest of the hills then I can put the last panel together and sew the panels all together... fun, fun, fun.... 

Another angel has been sewed for Angel Story....  they are such sweet pictures 

Righto, Gotto Go.... sleep time.... I love sleep time...… zzzz

Another week .....

I don't seem to be doing much of my sewing lately.  I have done this hand work at night.... slowly, slowly ….. another block for Dutch Treat

I have prepared more Angel Story blocks - these are the last 5 that need to be stitched... 

… and a bunch of 1 1/2" light neutrals for my My Small World sky....

… and just like that another week has gone by....

Righto, Gotto Go..... the weekend to enjoy 

Hope you all have a good one....

No work today......

… my work room is being painted.....  you can see the old colour in the wall around the door.  It will be a lot brighter now....

I set myself up on the dining room table to do some sewing (whilst supervising!) ...

Last weeks Moda Blockhead block was lovely and quick and easy..... (6" finished)

… and I had all the pieces for another section of My Small World so that got put together too....

… and then I made a few dribble bibs.....

the top two are 'vintage' fabrics I was gifted... I just love those little bunnies and squirrels...  I put some white towelling on the back which makes them that little bit more absorbent.

I just need to put snaps on them now.

My African Violet is enjoying indoors - I have always had it outside but its loving it's spot with the morning sun.

I decided I would like a few more, but they are hard to find at the nursery!!! I think they are too old fashioned.

Anyway a friend has a few different ones to I raided some leaves and am hoping some of them might root.  Here they are sitting in their glasses of water.... I'll let you know how I go.... 

Righto, Gotto Go... some tidying up to do now... and this evening I can move things back into the work room... quilting will resume....

Home Happenings.....

Widgets and my muffins in a bottle worked out!!  They were to make 20 but we had 12 large ones... maybe a bit of overflow happening!

The only problem was the bicarb/baking soda had compacted.  I didn't think of using a sieve as there were choc chips included but we did get a few lumps of soda which weren't terribly pleasant!!

I did get another panel for My Small World done on Friday … the blocks were all done so it was a quick put together.  

Widget wanted to continue on his 'quilt'.... 

of course its all getting out my old machine, sorting out his 'special' table blah blah blah and he has had enough of it after 10 minutes!!  At present he is quilting along the squares.  I noticed some of the fabrics in it are in My Small World too!

We are painting inside the house, well we aren't but we are getting it done.   It's all happening sooner than expected and I started putting away things over the weekend.

These little ducks sitting on top of a sideboard were very dusty... so they had a shower in the kitchen sink.  They are mended and cracked and chipped but they came with us when we immigrated and I remember them growing up....

My wooden cats that also came with us needed some care too.... here you can see the difference once I gave one a good oiling

… not shiny in the morning as the oil had soaked in.....  I love them.... they also came with us

These are the curtains that were in the house and you can see the dark feature wall (its not really as dark as that)

we are painting in a white....

curtains are being replaced .... a bit of a difference.

There is a story with these curtains.... when we immigrated I hadn't long had curtains done in our house (immigration was a sudden decision) and we only brought 3 cubic metres of stuff - basically any sentimental stuff came and I wanted my breakables safe so I packed lots of fabric around... namely my curtains.

they are big and bold and heavy and have sat in plastic bags since 2002.....  now I am going to use them...

they were too short... so the hems have been unpicked, the curtains washed, hung and they are pinned here.... just need to take them down and sew the hems (calico lined).

I used to work for the curtain and upholstery business that made them - and I just love those bold colours so I am delighted.  Not everyone's choice but they are mine... and best of all it's costing me nothing but time.  It's a nice big open plan space so can take the bold colours.

I have plain maroon ones for the dining area needing the same treatment.

All this has meant new poles too.... here is how the 'old' ones were... bent and filled with funny foam stuff....

… and here in the dining area they aren't straight....it has bugged me...

Hubz removed the old ones and put up the new ones this weekend ready so the painter can patch the holes.

much nicer, lighter poles … and they are straight!

Widget's job was using the pliers and taking out the nails from the walls.... we will start from fresh as to hanging our pictures as a lot we had put up to hide nails etc that were there when we came.

I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks with my stuff all over the place and not where it should be.... on the upside  I have to have a charming young man in the house for a while....guess I should really supervise quite closely?????

Maybe a bit of a boring post today.... 

Righto, Gotto Go... supervision to do!!! Nice legs... I guess it's all that up and down ladders..... hmmmm